I’d like a 48 scale mid-war Soviet fighter: that narrows it down to the Zvezda La5(N). (Why, pray tell, isn’t there a 48 IL-2? It was only the most produced fighting plane of WWII.) Reviews (many “first looks”) and some boards have praised the thing to the sky. However, other posts make it pretty clear that the kit is finicky and has given a lot of folks fits. I’ve had experience with an Eastern European plane that required a bloody birdcage within which the engine and interior rested. It was a catastrophe: I could only assemble it after serious amputations. I wouldn’t mind putting some time into a kit, but there comes a point for someone of my skill where the effort isn’t worth it. So if anyone out there has actually built this thing (either version) was it a good build or the kind of kit best dealt with by detail fanatics with a lot of experience?
Eric
There has been a 1/48 kit of the IL-2. Accurate Miniatures did both the single and twin seat IL-2 variants. The AM IL-2M3 kit has also been boxed by Italeri. I didn’t have any problems building the Zvezda La-5, but then I’m used to limited run type kits. For the La-5 I would suggest leaving out any of the interior parts that won’t be seen, it will help in getting the fuselage together. Also cut off the locating pegs on the fuselage, on my kit they made the fuselage halves fit crooked.
Yes, Accurate Miniatures did a series of IL-2 models. Seems they may not be making the IL-2 anymore (are they still in business?). Anyway the kits show up often at model shows. If there aren’t any in your area I’d think you could find one on ebay.
Is the Zvezda kit the same as the Gavia La-7 with a few different spues for the changes between the 5 and the 7? I thought Gavia was a sub-company of Zvezda? The Gavia kit went together for me without any serious problems.
I built Zvezda’s La-5 a few months back, so I can give some perspective.
First, it’s not related to the Gavia La-7 in any way. Gavia’s a sub of Eduard. It IS related to Zvezda’s La-5FN, but from what I’ve read they made some tweaks to the design and improved some interior detail.
In my experience, it’s a great kit. Relatively complicated, yes, but if you go slow and test-fit religiously, it builds up with pretty much zero fit issues whatsoever. The only issue I ran into was some cockpit fogging (the clear plastic Zvezda uses DOES NOT react well to Goo-gone, FYI). Had some decal silvering, too, but that was with aftermarket decals, so not at all the kit’s fault.
If I had to fault the kit on anything, it’s that it feels designed to be built with the engine exposed, so there’s a lot of careful fitting required if you’re building it with the cowl closed up. A few substitute pieces here and there could have made the front end build go way smoother, but I’m encountering the same with an Eduard 109 at the moment, so I don’t think that’s a fault that’s singular to Zvezda.
Here’s the page for my La-5 build on my blog - it links to all the WIP posts and photos if you want to get a look at the build-up process:
http://doogsmodels.com/completed-builds/lavochkin-la-5-silver-69/
Thanks Doogs, that clears up a few questions I had.
I’ll have to pick a Zvezda La-5 for myself. Nice looking plane with lots of cool paint schemes you can do. Thanks for posting your kit Doogs, very cool looking model.
Actually these days there is a great selection of Soviet WWII fighters in 1/48. Yak 1 Accurate Miniatures, Yak 3, Eduard; Yak 7/9 ICM, LaGG-3, La-5 Zvezda, La-5/7 Hobbycraft/Academy (easy builds but need work), La-7 Eduard, Il-2 Accurate Miniatures. Even if some of those are OOP, they are easily found on Ebay and other such places.
I just got it along w/ their new 109F model…very nice but maybe a tad more than what a beginner would want to tackle…
I would agree (have another La-5 and their 109F in the stash, too). It’s no shake-and-bake kit. You have to pay attention to what you’re doing, go slow, test fit, attach parts of pieces, test again, attach fully, etc. The kit is kind of ridiculous in its engineering, but unlike some other manufacturers, is done so in a way that you can still do extensive test-fitting instead of having to just glue it down and hope for the best.
But…it’s also a very fun build. I enjoyed it a heck of a lot more than the Eduard Yak-3 I build alongside. It’s a complicated kit, but a very precise kit.
Only caveat I’d make for anybody building one - if you plan to close the cowl, don’t bother with the exhausts, even the ones that supposedly peak out. Once you add the covers, they’re completely invisible. I spent a long time drilling them out, painting them, detailing them, for no reason.
Thankee Doogs: if I decided to build the thing “buttoned up” from the get-go would it be possible to do some proactive surgery to simplify build? One of the posts elsewhere that got me nervous was the comment that it was pretty hard to do just that. Frankly I’d prefer not spending an afternoon building an engine that I won’t display or assembling an elaborate birdcage for the interior and then close the cockpit. Come to think of it, someone else echoed your comment that the kit was designed to be “open” and and noted that it was very hard to fit a closed cockpit.
There are several (although I’d still say way too few) Soviet WWII fighters. However, barring the Zvezda La5 they are not mid-war. The Laag’s and Migs are 1941 planes. The Yak 3 and La7 belong to late 44 - 1945. (That’s why so many LA-7s stayed in service postwar - they never saw combat. I’ve seen several La-7 warbirds because of their wide distribution inside the Warsaw Pact. And it was rare when anyone in the Warsaw Pact through anything away.) But two Soviet planes did the heavy lifting from the summer 42 - fall 44: the La-5 and the Il-2. In 48 scale only the La-5 is available - wonder how many subtypes of the FW190 are out there? P-39s were starting to show up in Soviet service then with considerable impact. But right now it’s not easy to get a 48 scale P-39 with Soviet markings: Eduard has two out in “Weekender” format (US markings only) or in their “combo” packs - great if you want 2 P-39s. Aftermarket decals are out there of course. One is dedicated to foreign P-40s: has Egyptian, Turkish, Finnish and Soviet decals. I was thinking of buying that and sticking the red star on an Academy P-40C (the earliest Lend Lease US weapon: before Pearl Harbor in small numbers) and the Finnish markings on a Brewster Buffalo. Been very possible that two US fighters met in combat in 1941. Be neat for the Group Build.
Eric
It’s really not as bad as all that, I swear! I highly recommend reading my build posts - they put things in a bit more context.
As for proactive surgery…I wouldn’t recommend it. The cockpit builds off that internal structure. Literally. There’s no cockpit tub. And elements of the forward cowl use the engine for positioning.
That said…plenty of room for cutting corners. I didn’t install all the internal ribbing, just what was necessary for the cockpit/radio gear assembly. I also assembled the engine to the bare minimum. No exhausts, no paint.
Everything lines up amazingly well…my main frustration is the way the build forces you to run glue over some very intricate detail.
Doog
Actually I was on your site - think I might have been talking about your comments. If sanity reigned and Tamiya made a LA5 and Hasegawa made an IL2 I’d give it a pass. But, not having a LA5 is pretty close to not having a P47 or Spit IX. (And I’ve just rigged and lowered the superstructure of a 600 scale Dreadnaught - it can’t be much worse. Of course it took me a week just to do those tasks.) I’ll order it along with the Zvezda “Big Turret” KV-1: their ISU-152 tank destroyer was a little odd, but the result was something as cute as Shrek and as menacing as Darth Vader. I think it’s that Russian soul. Anyway, you can bet I’ve got your site marked. (Think I’ll get the N variant: understand it has only cosmetic differences.) I’ll pair it up with an Eduard FW-190A5 for the Group Build: sure those two duked it out over Kursk
Eric
The LA-5 was a big surprise for me! I was expecting the worse. It looked to be an over-engineered eastern European nightmare. But taking my time and going slow, things just sort of fell into place. I was also shocked by the fit of the parts! Very precise! I’m very glad I took the chance and bought it! Dave.
This isn’t your father’s Zvezda.
Seriously, I’ve been nothing but impressed by Zvezda’s kits over the last few years. They are not anything like the company’s early releases, but tend to be accurate, detailed, and fit well. The also have some of the finest engraved panel lines I’ve seen. Both their La-5 and Bf 109 have earned good reviews. Their recent airliners have set a new standard for the genre.
Cheers, Aaron
[dto:]…I really hope they continue the 109 line with a G model…